Thin border displays

ABSTRACT

A thin border display for an electronic device may comprise an optical assembly that includes a support frame and an electrophoretic display (EPD) structure attached to the support frame in a manner that allows for the display of the electronic device to exhibit a “thin border” or “borderless” look at a periphery of the electronic device. A portion of the EPD structure may at least partly curve around a curved portion of the support frame, the curved portion of the support frame being near the periphery of the support frame. In some embodiments, an electrode may be disposed at a periphery of the display to drive the margin of the display for achieving a thin border/borderless appearance. The EPD structure may include a backplane substrate that is either rigid or flexible.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/111,564, filed on Feb. 3, 2015, entitled, “BorderlessDisplays,” the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices often include displays for presenting information toa user. In a given electronic device, the display is typically mountedwithin a housing that encloses various other components of theelectronic device.

It can be challenging to design an electronic device that is thin,compact, and encloses all of the various components of the electronicdevice, including the display, within the housing. The existence of suchdesign constraints causes the designs for many electronic devices toinclude a substantial border (or margin) on the front face of the devicearound the display such that the display area terminates at the borderand does not extend any closer to, or around, the edges of theelectronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical components or features.

FIG. 1A illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of an example opticalassembly for a thin border electrophoretic display of an electronicdevice.

FIG. 1B illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of another exampleoptical assembly for a thin border electrophoretic display of anelectronic device.

FIG. 2A illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of another exampleoptical assembly for a thin border electrophoretic display of anelectronic device.

FIG. 2B illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of another exampleoptical assembly for a thin border electrophoretic display of anelectronic device.

FIG. 3A illustrates a front view of an example electronic device havinga two-sided thin border display.

FIG. 3B illustrates a side, cross-sectional, exploded view of theexample electronic device of FIG. 3A along section A-A according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 3C illustrates a side, cross-sectional, exploded view of theexample electronic device of FIG. 3A along section A-A according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 3D illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of the exampleelectronic device of FIG. 3C in assembled form.

FIG. 3E illustrates a rear view of an example electrode and an exampleelectrophoretic layer shown in FIG. 3B as seen from view B-B.

FIG. 3F illustrates a front view of an example support frame shown inFIG. 3B as seen from view C-C.

FIG. 3G illustrates a side, cross-sectional, exploded view of theexample electronic device of FIG. 3A along section A-A according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 3H illustrates a side, cross-sectional, exploded view of theexample electronic device of FIG. 3A along section A-A according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 3I illustrates a front view of an example support frame shown inFIG. 3G as seen from view D-D.

FIG. 4 illustrates example configurations for electronic devices havingthin border displays.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate example techniques for wrapping a portion of anelectrophoretic display structure around a corner of a curved step of asupport frame.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of an example electronicdevice shown in FIG. 4 along section E-E according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of an example electronicdevice shown in FIG. 4 along section E-E according to anotherembodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of theexample electronic device shown in FIG. 4 along section E-E illustratingan encapsulation layer or encapsulation shim disposed on an exampledriver chip.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an illustrative process for manufacturing anoptical assembly for a display of an electronic device according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of an illustrative process of manufacturing anoptical assembly for a display of an electronic device according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example technique for allowing a user to hold anelectronic device having a thin border display.

FIG. 12A illustrates a side elevation view of an example electronicdevice showing example indicia that can be displayed on a side portionof the thin border display.

FIG. 12B illustrates a side elevation view of an example electronicdevice showing other example indicia that can be displayed on a sideportion of the thin border display.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing high-level components of an exampleelectronic device that may be used in conjunction with the systems andtechniques described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are thin border displays for electronic devices, andmethods of manufacturing thin border displays. The disclosed thin borderdisplays may be comprised of an optical assembly that includes a supportframe and an electrophoretic display (EPD) structure attached to thesupport frame in a manner that allows for the display of the electronicdevice to exhibit a “thin border” or “borderless” look at a periphery ofthe electronic device. The thin border/borderless look may be enabled bya portion of the EPD structure being at least partly curved around acurved portion (e.g., a curved step) of the support frame, the curvedportion of the support frame being near the periphery of the supportframe. In some embodiments, the thin border/borderless look may beenabled by an electrode disposed at a periphery (in the margin) of thedisplay to drive the margin region of the display closer to the edge ofthe device.

The EPD structure of the optical assembly may include a backplanesubstrate and an electrophoretic layer disposed on the backplanesubstrate. In some embodiments, the backplane substrate is rigid. Inother embodiments, the backplane substrate is flexible. When the thinborder display is implemented with a rigid backplane substrate, anelectrode may be disposed in between the electrophoretic layer and thebackplane substrate at a periphery of the electrophoretic layer and thebackplane substrate. In this implementation, the electrode andelectrophoretic layer may overhang the backplane substrate at one ormore outer edges of the backplane substrate. The electrode is configuredto drive the EPD where the electrophoretic layer extends beyond thebackplane substrate. Moreover, the portion of the electrode and theelectrophoretic layer that overhangs the outer edge(s) of the backplanesubstrate may be at least partly curved or flexed over, and attached to,a curved step of the support frame while the rigid backplane substrateremains flat on the support frame.

When the thin border display is implemented with a flexible backplanesubstrate, a periphery of the EPD structure (i.e., the flexiblebackplane substrate and the electrophoretic layer, at their respectiveperipheries) may extend close to the outer edge of the device, and maybe at least partly curved or flexed over, and attached to, a curved stepof the support frame while the central portion of the flexible backplanesubstrate remains flat on the support frame. In other embodiments, anelectrode may be disposed in between the electrophoretic layer and theflexible backplane substrate at a periphery of the electrophoretic layerand the flexible backplane substrate.

The thin border displays described herein may improve user experiencewith electronic devices like electronic book readers (e-book readers)and tablets by making textual content look more like paper, giving theuser an experience that is similar to viewing a tangible, hardcopy book,magazine, newspaper, or the like. The thin border display may alsoincrease the display area on the electronic device by 10-25%, allowingfor more content of the same size (e.g., font size) to fit on a singlepage, when presented on the display of the electronic device. As usedherein, “thin border” may correspond to a border that is no greater thanabout 5 millimeters (mm).

The techniques, systems, and devices described herein may be implementedin a number of ways. Example implementations are provided below withreference to the following figures.

FIG. 1A illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of an example opticalassembly 100 for a thin border electrophoretic display (EPD) of anelectronic device. The structure 100 may comprise a support frame 102that is configured to support an electrophoretic display (EPD) structure104 (or “EPD stack 104”) attached thereto. The support frame 102 may bemade of any suitable material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS) plastic, or another rigid, or semi-rigid, material suitable forelectronic device housings, such as metal, carbon fiber, and so on.

The EPD structure 104 may comprise multiple layers, including, withoutlimitation, a rigid backplane substrate 106, an electrode 108, anelectrophoretic layer 110, a transparent conductive layer 112, and atransparent protective substrate 114. Adhesive layers may beinterspersed between any or all pairs of adjacent layers in the EPDstack 104. In the embodiment of FIG. 1A, the rigid backplane substrate106 comprises a rigid substrate. In this implementation, the rigidbackplane substrate 106 may be made of any suitable rigid, orsemi-rigid, material, such as glass or a polymer plastic material.

The EPD structure 104 may be a passive matrix drive type, an activematrix drive type, or a segmented-electrode direct drive type display.In any case, the rigid backplane substrate 106 is configured to providean electric field to influence the movement of charged particles withinthe electrophoretic layer 110, which, in turn, causes an image to beformed on the display. That is, if an electrical signal is applied to anelectrode on the surface of the rigid backplane substrate 106, anelectric field may be generated between the rigid backplane substrate106 and the transparent conductive layer 112 and/or between theelectrode 108 and the transparent conductive layer 112. The generatedelectric field causes charged particles (e.g., white, black, grey,and/or colored particles) to move within the electrophoretic layer 110so that an image can be generated on the display of the electronicdevice.

In the case of a passive matrix display, the rigid backplane substrate106 may be patterned with a row electrode and the transparent conductivelayer 112 may comprise a column electrode, or vice versa. In the case ofan active matrix display, the rigid backplane substrate 106 may comprisea thin film transistor (TFT) array substrate comprising a pixelelectrode(s), and the transparent conductive layer 112 may comprise auniform transparent electrode, such as a uniform layer of indium tinoxide (ITO). In a segmented-electrode display configuration, segmentedelectrodes may be provided on a substrate, such as the rigid backplanesubstrate 106, and may each be driven independently with the desiredvoltage to give the desired optical state in a so-called “direct drivescheme). In this implementation, the transparent conductive layer 112may comprise a uniform transparent electrode. The rigid backplanesubstrate 106 may be disposed on a substantially flat portion orplatform of the support frame 102 at a center of the support frame 102.The rigid backplane substrate 106 may also comprise a set of patternedelectrodes with each electrode connected to its own driver, such as asegmented display.

The electrode 108 may be disposed on the rigid backplane substrate 106at a periphery of the rigid backplane substrate 106, and the electrode108 may extend beyond an outer edge of the rigid backplane substrate 106such that the electrode 108 overhangs the outer edge of the rigidbackplane substrate 106. In this manner, according to the example ofFIG. 1A, the electrode 108 can be flexed over a curved step 116 of thesupport frame 102 and attached thereto. In some embodiments, theelectrode 108 comprises a thin conductive foil electrode, such as ametal (e.g., aluminum) foil electrode, an electrode comprising metal(e.g., copper) nanowires, or an electrode made from a non-metalconductive material, such as graphite. The electrode 108 may have athickness that is no greater than about 30 microns (or micrometers(μm)), no greater than about 25 microns, no greater than about 20microns, no greater than about 15 microns, no greater than about 12microns, no greater than about 10 microns, no greater than about 8microns, no greater than about 6 microns, or no greater than about 4microns.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the electrode 108 may not cover the surface of therigid backplane substrate 106 at an interior region 118 of the opticalassembly 100. During operation of the electronic device, this allows therigid backplane substrate 106 to drive an addressable region of thedisplay (i.e., the electrophoretic material in the electrophoretic layer110 may be addressed with the rigid backplane substrate 106) where maintext or content may be displayed, which corresponds to the interiorregion 118 of the display where the electrode 108 does not cover therigid backplane substrate 106. In other words, the rigid backplanesubstrate 106 is configured to drive pixel information up to the edge ofthe inner edge of the electrode 108. The electrode 108 may be configuredto drive the display at the periphery 120 (or margin area) of thedisplay. In this manner, the periphery 120 of the display, instead ofbeing addressable at the pixel level, may be driven by the electrode 108to form any suitable image, indicia, or color in the periphery 120 ofthe display. For example, the electrode 108 may drive the periphery 120to exhibit a white background, a black background, a shade of grey, or acolored background. In some instances, the background in the periphery120 may be selected to match the background color of the interior region118 of the display such that there is no perceivable demarcation orboundary between the interior region 118 and the periphery 120 of thedisplay. The thickness of the electrode 108 and its ability to drive theperiphery 120 facilitates a thin border appearance or even a borderlessappearance on the display. In some embodiments, a dedicated pad on thefront surface of the rigid backplane substrate 106 may drive theelectrode 108 at the same time that the rigid backplane substrate 106drives the pixel information in the addressable region.

The electrophoretic layer 110 may be disposed on the electrode 108 atthe periphery 120 of the electrophoretic layer 110. As shown in FIG. 1A,the electrophoretic layer 110 may be flexible enough to bond to thesurface of the rigid backplane substrate 106 within the interior region118 notwithstanding the existence of the electrode 108 in between therigid backplane substrate 106 and the electrophoretic layer 110. In someembodiments, a planarization layer may be interposed between the rigidbackplane substrate 106 and the electrophoretic layer 110 within theinterior region 118 to planarize the electrophoretic layer 110 where theelectrophoretic layer 110 is not disposed on the electrode 108 (i.e.,where the electrode 108 does not cover the rigid backplane substrate106). In other embodiments, a first electrophoretic layer 110 may bedisposed on the electrode 108, and a second, different electrophoreticlayer may be disposed on the rigid backplane substrate 106 where theelectrode 108 does not cover the rigid backplane substrate 106. In thiscase, the second electrophoretic layer may be of a different (i.e.,greater) thickness than the electrophoretic layer 110 disposed on theelectrode 108, and the two electrophoretic layers may abut each other attheir respective edges.

The electrophoretic layer 110 may include a dielectric solvent (e.g., ahigh dielectric, low viscosity suspending medium) and charged particlesdispersed throughout the dielectric solvent. The charged particles maybe of different colors (e.g., a combination of white, black, and/orcolored particles). White particles and color particles, or whiteparticles and black particles, may move within the dielectric solvent inresponse to an electric field applied thereto. For a mono type EPD,which generates black and white images on the display, theelectrophoretic layer 110 may contain white and black particles. For anEPD configured to generate colored images, the electrophoretic layer 110may contain white and colored particles. In some embodiments, theelectrophoretic layer 110 may have a thickness that is no greater thanabout 400 microns, no greater than about 350 microns, no greater thanabout 300 microns, no greater than about 300 microns, no greater thanabout 250 microns, no greater than about 200 microns, no greater thanabout 150 microns, no greater than about 120 microns, no greater thanabout 100 microns, no greater than about 80 microns, or no greater thanabout 60 microns.

The transparent conductive layer 112 may be disposed on theelectrophoretic layer 110. The transparent conductive layer 112 mayallow for an electric field to be generated upon driving the electrodeof the rigid backplane substrate 106 with a driving voltage. Thetransparent conductive layer 112 may be patterned into columns or rowsfor a passive matrix display, or the transparent conductive layer 112may be a uniform plate conductor without a pattern for an active matrixdisplay. The transparent conductive layer 112 may comprise any suitabletype of electrode, including, without limitation, ITO, carbon nanotubes,silver or copper nanowires, a metal mesh screen, and the like. Moreover,the “transparent” nature of the conductive layer 112 allows thetransparent conductive layer 112 to be invisible to the naked eye.

The transparent protective substrate 114 may be disposed on thetransparent conductive layer 112, and may protect the layers behind thetransparent protective substrate 114. FIG. 1A shows that a portion ofthe EPD structure 104 is curved over the curved step 116 of the supportframe, and that the curved portion of the EPD structure 104 makes a turnof about 90 degrees (°) as the EPD structure 104 extends from theinterior region 118 of the display where the EPD structure 104 issubstantially flat to a termination point on a horizontally orientedface of the support frame 102 in the periphery 120, thereby forming a90° elbow in the curved EPD structure 104. It is to be appreciated that,although FIG. 1A shows the EPD structure 104 making a turn of about 90°at the curved portion of the EPD structure 104, the EPD structure 104may curve to a smaller or greater degree, such as by making a turn thatis less than or greater than 90°. In one example, the curved portion ofthe EPD structure 104 makes a turn of about 180° where the EPD structure104 terminates in a substantially horizontal orientation underneath therigid backplane substrate 106 and within the support frame 102. Theradius, R, of curvature of the curved portion of the EPD structure 104may be no greater than about 7 mm, no greater than about 5 mm, nogreater than about 3 mm, or no greater than about 1 mm, depending on thesize of the electronic device. Various configurations will be describedin more detail with reference to the following figures.

FIG. 1A further illustrates an edge seal 122 that is deposited inbetween the electrode 108 and the transparent protective substrate 114.The edge seal 122 may be comprised of any suitable resin material (e.g.,Phenoxy Resin) that acts as a sealant against environmentalcontaminants. The edge seal 122 prevents oxygen and water vapor fromdamaging the electrophoretic material in the electrophoretic layer 110.

In general, the components and layers of the optical assembly 100, andof other structures shown in the following figures, may be considered tohave front and rear surfaces that are oriented in the “Z-direction” of athree-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system (e.g., denoted by x, y,z). FIG. 1A shows how the support frame 102 and the multiple layers ofthe EPD structure 104 are stacked in the Z-direction such that each ofthe components and layers may be considered to have a front surfaceoriented in the positive Z-direction of FIG. 1A (i.e., closer to aviewing user), and a back surface oriented in the negative Z-directionof FIG. 1A (i.e., farther from a viewing user). It is to be appreciatedthat the various components and layers described herein may includesurfaces that can be referenced in a similar manner.

FIG. 1B illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of another exampleoptical assembly 124 for a thin border EPD of an electronic device,according to another embodiment. The optical assembly 124 (like theoptical assembly 100 of FIG. 1A) may comprise a support frame 126 thatis configured to support the EPD structure 104 that is attached thereto.The support frame 126 may be similar in material composition to thesupport frame 102 of FIG. 1A. However, the support frame 126 omits acurved step, like the curved step 116 of FIG. 1A.

In the example of FIG. 1B, the EPD structure 104 is attached to thesupport frame 126 in a substantially flat configuration, as opposed tothe curved portion of the EPD structure 104 at the periphery 120 in theexample of FIG. 1A. In this manner, the rigid backplane substrate 106can be made of a relatively brittle material, such as glass, and stillbe far enough from the outer edge of the optical assembly 124 so thatthe rigid backplane substrate 106 is not as susceptible tobreakage/fracture from dropping the electronic device. This is incontrast to extending the rigid backplane substrate 106 closer to theedge of the optical assembly 124 (e.g., extending it as far out aslayers 108-114 extend in FIG. 1B), which may cause the rigid backplanesubstrate 106 to fracture more easily if the electronic device were tobe dropped during use. In the example of FIG. 1B, the electrode 108 isconfigured to drive the display in the periphery 120 (or margin) of thedisplay to facilitate a thin border appearance or a substantiallyborderless appearance to the display, as compared to displays withoutsuch an electrode 108 that provide a larger “non-displayable zone”between the edge of the device and the display (i.e., a smaller displayfor the same size device).

FIG. 2A illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of another exampleoptical assembly 200 for a thin border electrophoretic display (EPD) ofan electronic device, according to another embodiment. The opticalassembly 200 (like the optical assemblies 100 and 124 of FIGS. 1A and1B) may comprise a support frame 202 that is configured to support anelectrophoretic display (EPD) structure 204 (or “EPD stack 204”) that isattached thereto. The support frame 202 may be similar in materialcomposition to the support frame 102 of FIG. 1A. The support frame 202may also have a similar shape to that of the support frame 102 of FIG.1A, with various differences in contours and features on the front faceof the support frame 202.

The EPD structure 204 may comprise multiple layers, some of which may besimilar to those described with reference to the EPD structure 104 ofFIG. 1A, such as the electrophoretic layer 110, the transparentconductive layer 112, and the transparent protective substrate 114. Inthe example of FIG. 2A, the EPD structure 204 may include a backplanesubstrate 206 that is made of a flexible material, as opposed to therigid backplane substrate 106 of FIG. 1A. Accordingly, the flexiblebackplane substrate 206 may be made of any suitable flexible material,such as, without limitation, polyamide (PA), polyimide (PI),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethersulfone (PES), polycarbonate(PC), and the like. In this manner, the backplane substrate 206, beingflexible, may be curved over a curved step 208 of the support frame 202along with the other layers 110-114 of the EPD structure 204, which arealso flexible. The radius, R, of curvature of the curved portion of theEPD structure 204 may be no greater than about 7 mm, no greater thanabout 5 mm, no greater than about 3 mm, or no greater than about 1 mm,depending on the size of the electronic device. The edge seal 122 may bedeposited in between the flexible backplane substrate 206 and thetransparent protective substrate 114 to seal the electrophoreticmaterial in the electrophoretic layer 110 from environmentalcontaminants. In the example of FIG. 2A, the flexible backplanesubstrate 206 is configured to drive the display in the periphery 120(or margin) of the display. In this manner, the optical assembly 200creates a thin border appearance or even a borderless appearance for thedisplay, and it does so by using a flexible backplane substrate 206,such as a flexible TFT array substrate, that offers addressability ofthe display at the pixel level all the way to the edge of the display.

FIG. 2B illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of another exampleoptical assembly 210 for a thin border EPD of an electronic device,according to another embodiment. The optical assembly 210 (like theoptical assemblies 100, 124, and 200 of FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2A) maycomprise a support frame 212 that is configured to support the EPDstructure 204 that is attached thereto. The support frame 212 may besimilar in material composition to the support frame 102 of FIG. 1A.Furthermore, the support frame 212 omits a curved step, like the supportframe 126 of FIG. 1B.

In the example of FIG. 2B, the EPD structure 204 is attached to thesupport frame 212 in a substantially flat configuration, similar to theexample of FIG. 1B. However, because the backplane substrate 206 is madeof a relatively flexible (i.e., non-brittle) material, such aspolyamide, the flexible backplane substrate 206 can be extended closerto the outer edge of the optical assembly 210 without the samesusceptibility to breakage/fracture from dropping the electronic deviceas you would have with say a glass backplane. In this manner, thedisplay can achieve a thin border appearance or a substantiallyborderless appearance.

In some embodiments, the flexible backplane substrate 206 may beimplemented in a configuration similar to those shown in FIGS. 1A and 1Bfor the rigid backplane substrate 106. That is, a flexible backplanesubstrate 206 that is relatively smaller in size, as compared to theflexible backplane substrate 206 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, can beimplemented with the electrode 108 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, where theelectrode 108 may be disposed on the flexible backplane substrate 206 ata periphery of the flexible backplane substrate 206. In such aconfiguration, the electrode 108 may extend beyond an outer edge of theflexible backplane substrate 206 such that the electrode 108 overhangsthe outer edge of the flexible backplane substrate 206. In this manner,the electrode 108 can be flexed over a curved step 116 of the supportframe 102 and attached thereto, similar to the configuration shown inFIG. 1A. Alternatively, the EPD structure having the flexible backplanesubstrate 206 and the electrode 108 can remain substantially flat,similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 1B, and may extend close tothe edge of the electronic device. In either configuration, theelectrode 108 is configured to drive the display in the periphery 120(or margin) of the display to facilitate a thin border appearance or asubstantially borderless appearance to the display. Moreover, reducingthe size of the flexible backplane substrate 206 in such a configurationmay reduce the overall cost of the electronic device.

FIG. 3A illustrates a front view of an example electronic device 300having a two-sided thin border display. FIG. 3A shows that the frontface of the electronic device 300 is oriented in the X-Y plane. Theelectronic device 300 may be any electronic device that provides adisplay, including, without limitation, a tablet computer, e-bookreader, a smart watch or similar wearable computer with a display, asmart phone, a laptop or notebook computer, a desktop computer display,a television display, a wall mounted display, a panel display, anautomobile display, a navigation device display (e.g., globalpositioning system (GPS) device display), a point of sale terminaldisplay, an electronic sign, an automated teller machine (ATM) display,or any similar consumer or industrial electronic display device. FIG. 3Ashows the electronic device 300 having a display screen size, d, asmeasured along the diagonal of the display. The display of theelectronic device 300 may have an interior region 118 where the EPDstructure 104/204 is substantially flat. The interior region 118 maycorrespond to a main content area (e.g., a main reading area wheretext-based content is rendered). The display of the electronic device300 may accordingly have a periphery 120 where the EPD structure 104/204is curved around a support frame, such as the support frame 102 or thesupport frame 202, of the electronic device 300. Although FIG. 3A showsan electronic device 300 having a two-sided thin border display (i.e.,an EPD structure 104/204 that is curved over a curved step 116/208 ofthe support frame 102/202 at two opposing sides of the electronic device300), the electronic device 300 may comprise any number of “thin bordersides” on its display, such as one thin border side, two thin bordersides, three thin border sides, or four thin border sides. Furthermore,in some implementations, at least two thin border sides may be adjacentto each other such that the EPD structure 104/204 wraps around a cornerof the curved step 116/208 on the support frame 102/202. Variousconfigurations of thin border displays are illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 3B illustrates a side, cross-sectional, exploded view of theexample electronic device 300 of FIG. 3A along section A-A, according toone embodiment. The various layers that make up the display of theelectronic device 300 are shown in FIG. 3B in their “pre-assembled” formwhere the layers to be curved over the curved step 116 of the supportframe 102 are substantially planar, or flat, as would be the case priorto attachment of the EPD structure 104 to the support frame 102.

FIG. 3B illustrates many of the same components that were introduced inFIG. 1A, such as the support frame 102 having the curved step 116, aswell as the EPD structure 104 comprising the rigid backplane substrate106, the electrode 108, the electrophoretic layer 110, the transparentconductive layer 112, and the transparent protective substrate 114.Additionally, FIG. 3B illustrates that the support frame 102 may includea front face having a first platform 302 (or flat portion) that islocated at a periphery of the support frame 102. In some embodiments,the first platform 302 extends around the entire periphery of thesupport frame 102. In other embodiments, the first platform 302 residesalong at least one side of the support frame 102. The support frame 102may further include a second platform 304 that is located at a center ofthe support frame 102. The curved step 116 is disposed in between thefirst platform 302 and the second platform 304. Although FIG. 3B depictsthe first and second platforms 302 and 304 as being substantiallycoplanar (i.e., lying on the same plane or at the same vertical level inthe Z-direction), the first platform 302 may be lower or higher than thesecond platform 304 in the Z-direction.

A rear surface of the rigid backplane substrate 106 is configured to bemounted upon the second platform 304. In the example of FIG. 3B, thelevel of the second platform 304 relative to the top of the curved step116 is such that a recess is formed in the center of the supportplatform 102. The rigid backplane substrate 106 may sit within therecess defined by the second platform 304 and the curved step 116. Uponassembly, the additional layers 108-114 of the EPD structure 104 may beattached to the rigid backplane substrate 106 and the support frame 102,as is shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 3B further illustrates a light guide 306, a touch panel 308 (or“touch sensor 312)), and a cover lens 310. The light guide 306 may bedisposed on from surface of the EPD structure 104, and particularly onthe front surface of the transparent protective substrate 114. The lightguide 306 may be made of a flexible silicon material (e.g., siliconelastomer) so that the light guide 306 can be curved over the curvedstep 116 at the periphery 120 of the display. The light guide 306 isconfigured to guide light around the electrophoretic material of the EPDstructure 104. The light guide 306 may have a thickness that is nogreater than about 2 mm, no greater than about 1.5 mm, no greater thanabout 1 mm, no greater than about 0.5 mm, no greater than about 0.25 mm,no greater than about 0.2 mm, or no greater than about 0.1 mm.

The touch panel 308 may be disposed on the light guide 306, and may alsobe made of a flexible material, such as PET, or a similar transparent,flexible plastic. In this manner, the touch panel 308 can be curved overthe curved step 116 at the periphery 120 of the display. The touch panel308 may be configured to detect touch events on a front surface of thedisplay of the electronic device 300 during operation of the electronicdevice 300. The touch panel 308 may have a thickness that is no greaterthan 1 mm, no greater than about 0.5 mm, no greater than about 0.25 mm,no greater than about 0.2 mm, no greater than about 0.1 mm, no greaterthan about 0.05 mm, or no greater than about 0.025 mm.

The cover lens 310 may be attached to the support frame 102, such as byattaching the cover lens 310 to the support frame 102 at the firstplatform 302. The cover lens 310 may enclose the EPD structure 104, thelight guide 306, and the touch panel 308. The cover lens 310 may be madeof glass or a hard plastic, such as PC, poly(methyl methacrylate), or acombination thereof, which is configured to protect the more fragileinner display components of the electronic device 300. The cover lens310 may have a thickness that is no greater than about 4 mm, no greaterthan about 3.5 mm, no greater than about 3 mm, no greater than about 2.5mm, no greater than about 2 mm, no greater than about 1.5 mm, or nogreater than about 1 mm. The cover lens 310 may be formed in apre-molded configuration in a separate manufacturing process so that itis already curved upon assembling the electronic device 300. Layers 104,306, and 308 may be laminated together and then curved to contour withthe curved step 116, or layers 104, 306, and 308 may be laminated ontothe rear surface of the curved cover lens 310 and then attached to thesupport frame 102.

FIG. 3C illustrates a side, cross-sectional, exploded view of theexample electronic device 300 of FIG. 3A along section A-A according toanother embodiment. Like FIG. 3B, the various layers that make up thedisplay of the electronic device 300 are shown in FIG. 3C in theirpre-assembled form. FIG. 3C illustrates many of the same components thatwere introduced in FIG. 1B, such as the support frame 126 and the EPDstructure 104 comprising the rigid backplane substrate 106, theelectrophoretic layer 110, the transparent conductive layer 112, and thetransparent protective substrate 114. FIG. 3C further illustrates thelight guide 306, the touch panel 308 (or “touch sensor 308)), and thecover lens 310 introduced with reference to FIG. 3B.

The support frame 126 of FIG. 3C may include front face having a firstplatform 302 that is located at a periphery of the support frame 126.The support frame 126 may further include a second platform 304 that islocated at a center of the support frame 126. In this manner, thesupport frame 126 may comprise a similar configuration to the supportframe 102 with regard to the first platform 302 and the second platform304, yet the support frame 126 omits a curved step, such as the curvedstep 116 of the support frame 102. This is because the optical assemblyin FIG. 3C is to remain substantially flat when assembled, as shown inFIG. 3D.

FIG. 3D illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of the exampleelectronic device 300 of FIG. 3C in assembled form. As shown in FIG. 3D,a rear surface of the rigid backplane substrate 106 is disposed upon thesecond platform 304 of the support frame 126. The layers 104, 306, and308 may be laminated together and coupled to the support frame 126, orlayers 104, 306, and 308 may be laminated onto the rear surface of thecurved cover lens 310 and then attached to the support frame 126.

FIG. 3D further illustrates how the curved cover lens 310 is configuredto obscure any given border surrounding the display by opticalredirection. That is, in the implementation where the EPD structure 104remains substantially flat upon assembly, the EPD structure 104 may runup to the edge of the electronic device 300, but a thin border remainsaround the EPD structure 104 at the edge of the device 300. The borderaround the substantially flat EPD structure 104 may be on the order ofabout 1 mm due to the width of the edge seal 122 that seals theelectrophoretic layer 110. However, the curved cover lens 310 isconfigured to refract incoming light rays to create an offset, p, fromthe perspective of a person viewing the display from the front of theelectronic device 300. In this manner, the offset, p, causes the personviewing the display from the front to actually see a point on thedisplay that is a distance, p, inside the edge of the device 300,causing a thin border appearance or a borderless appearance from theperspective of the viewer. In some embodiments, the offset, p, is about1 mm. In some embodiments, the cover lens 310 is an optically clear(i.e., substantially transparent) material, such as clear glass orplastic. In other embodiments, the cover lens 310 may be frosted nearthe periphery 120 of the display to further obscure any actual borderthat remains around the EPD structure 104 in the flat configurationshown in FIGS. 3C and 3D.

Although FIGS. 3C and 3D illustrate a cover lens 310 that is curved, thecover lens 310 is not limited to being curved, and may instead besubstantially flat according to some embodiments. With a flat cover lens310, any thin border around the EPD structure 104 may be moreperceivable to a viewer. As noted above, however, the flat cover lens310 may be frosted around the periphery 120 of the display to helpobscure any perceivable border.

FIG. 3E illustrates a rear view of an example electrode 108 and anexample electrophoretic layer 110 shown in FIG. 3B as seen from viewB-B. The electrode 108 is shown as having a rectangular shape, andincluding a window 312 in a center region of the electrode 108 that isvoid of material. The electrode 108 may be of any polygonal shape, andthe particular shape may depend on the shape of the electronic device300 in which the electrode 108 is implemented. The window 312 allows forthe charged particles in the electrophoretic layer 110 to be influencedby the electric field produced by the rigid backplane substrate 106(e.g., a TFT array substrate) in the interior region 118 of the display,while the electrode 108 can drive the electrophoretics in the periphery120 (or margin) of the display. Although the electrode 108 is depictedin FIG. 3E as a four sided, rectangular frame, the electrode 108 maycomprise a single strip along a single side of the electrophoretic layer110, or the electrode 108 may comprise two independent strips of thinmetal at opposing sides of the electrophoretic layer 110, or theelectrode 108 may comprise a U-shaped strip of metal on three contiguoussides of the electrophoretic layer 110.

FIG. 3F illustrates a front view of an example support frame 102 shownin FIG. 3B as seen from view C-C. FIG. 3F shows that the support frame102 may include a curved step 116 that is positioned in between thefirst platform 302 and the second platform 304. In some embodiments, thecurved step 116 is a continuous feature that surrounds the entire secondplatform 304, as shown in FIG. 3F, which may allow for a four sided thinborder display. However, it is to be appreciated that, in someimplementations, the curved step 116 may extend along a single side ofthe support frame 102, along two opposing sides of the support frame102, or along two or three adjacent or contiguous sides of the supportframe 102.

FIG. 3G illustrates a side, cross-sectional, exploded view of theexample electronic device 300 of FIG. 3A along section A-A according toanother embodiment. Like FIG. 3B, the various layers that make up thedisplay of the electronic device 300 are shown in FIG. 3G in theirpre-assembled form where the layers to be curved over the curved step208 of the support frame 202 are substantially planar, or flat, as theywould be prior to attachment to the support frame 202.

FIG. 3G illustrates many of the same components that were introduced inFIG. 2A, such as the support frame 202 having the curved step 208, aswell as the EPD structure 204 comprising the flexible backplanesubstrate 206, the electrophoretic layer 110, the transparent conductivelayer 112, and the transparent protective substrate 114. FIG. 3G furtherillustrates the light guide 306, the touch panel 308 (or “touch sensor308)), and the cover lens 310 introduced with reference to FIG. 3B.

The support frame 202 of FIG. 3G may include front face having a firstplatform 314 that is located at a periphery of the support frame 202 ina similar configuration to the first platform 302 of the support frame102. The support frame 202 may further include a second platform 316that is located at a center of the support frame 202. The curved step208 is disposed in between the first platform 314 and the secondplatform 316. In the example of FIG. 3G, the curved step 208 and thesecond platform 316 forms a raised central area, or plateau, in thecenter of the support frame 202. A rear surface of the flexiblebackplane substrate 206 is configured to be mounted upon the secondplatform 316. Upon full assembly, the support frame 202 and the EPDstructure 204 may look like the optical assembly 200 in FIG. 2A. It isto be appreciated that layers 204, 306, and 308 may be laminatedtogether and then curved to contour with the curved step 208, or layers204, 306, and 308 may be laminated onto the rear surface of the curvedcover lens 310 and then attached to the support frame 202.

FIG. 3H illustrates a side, cross-sectional, exploded view of theexample electronic device 300 of FIG. 3A along section A-A according toanother embodiment. Like FIG. 3G, the various layers that make up thedisplay of the electronic device 300 are shown in FIG. 3H in theirpre-assembled form. FIG. 3H illustrates many of the same components thatwere introduced in FIG. 2B, such as the support frame 212 and the EPDstructure 204 comprising the flexible backplane substrate 206, theelectrophoretic layer 110, the transparent conductive layer 112, and thetransparent protective substrate 114. FIG. 3H further illustrates thelight guide 306, the touch panel 308 (or “touch sensor 308)), and thecover lens 310 introduced with reference to FIG. 3B.

The support frame 212 shown in FIG. 3H may have a substantially flatfront face that omits a curved step, such as the curved step 208 of thesupport frame 202. This is because the optical assembly in FIG. 3H is toremain substantially flat when assembled. Furthermore, the curved natureof the cover lens 310 may be configured to obscure any given bordersurrounding the display by optical redirection, similar to the techniquedescribed above with reference to FIG. 3D. In this manner, the EPDstructure 204 may remain substantially flat when assembled, yet any thinborder that remains (e.g., due to the edge seal 122 shown in FIG. 2B)around the EPD structure 204 may be obscured from the perspective of aviewer because light rays are refracted by an offset, p, as shown inFIG. 3D. Of course, the cover lens 310 may be a substantially flat insome embodiments and does not have to be curved.

FIG. 3I illustrates a front view of an example support frame 202 shownin FIG. 3G as seen from view D-D. FIG. 3I shows that the support frame202 may include a curved step 208 that is positioned in between thefirst platform 314 and the second platform 316. The curved step 208 maybe a continuous feature that surrounds the entire second platform 316,as shown in FIG. 3I, which may allow for a four sided thin borderdisplay using the flexible backplane substrate 206. However, it is to beappreciated that, in some implementations, the curved step 208 mayextend along a single side of the support frame 202, along two opposingsides of the support frame 202, or along two or three adjacent orcontiguous sides of the support frame 202.

FIG. 4 illustrates example configurations for electronic devices havingthin border displays. An example electronic device 400 represents atypical electronic device having a display of size, d, measured alongthe diagonal. Notably, the display of the electronic device 400 has aborder around all four sides of the display. Accordingly, exampleelectronic devices 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D, and 300E illustrate variousexample configurations of a “thin border” display that increases thesize, d, of the display, and makes the content rendered on the displayappear more like a paper, hardcopy of the content rendered thereon.

Electronic device 300A is an example of an electronic device having aone sided thin border display configuration. The thin border displayshown by the example device 300A may be accomplished by having a portionof an EPD structure, such as the EPD structure 104 or the EPD structure204, curved over a curved step, such as the curved step 116 or thecurved step 208, that extends along one side of the support frame102/202 on which the curved step is formed.

Electronic device 300B is an example of an electronic device having atwo sided thin border display configuration at opposing sides of theelectronic device 300B. Electronic device 300C is an example of anelectronic device having a two sided thin border display configurationat adjacent sides of the electronic device 300C. Thus, the display ofthe electronic device 300C wraps around a corner of the electronicdevice 300C. Electronic device 300D is an example of an electronicdevice having a three sided thin border display configuration. Lastly,electronic device 300E is an example of an electronic device having afour sided thin border display configuration.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate example techniques for wrapping a portion of anEPD structure, such as the EPD structure 104 or the EPD structure 204,around a corner of a curved step of a support frame, such as the supportframe 102 or the support frame 202. Particularly, when the thin borderdisplay is implemented as a two sided thin border display at adjacentsides of the support frame 102/202, or a three sided thin borderdisplay, or a four sided thin border display, the EPD structure 104/204is curved or wrapped around the curved step 116/208 of the support frame102/202 at one or more corners of the curved step 116/208.

There are various ways in which the EPD structure 104/204 can be wrappedaround a corner of the curved step 116/208 on the support frame 102/202.FIG. 5A illustrates an example technique for wrapping the EPD structure104/204 to the corner 500 of the support frame that involves heatshrinking the portion of the EPD structure 104/204 at the corner 500.Thus, the EPD structure 104/204 may be made of a heat-shrinkable plasticmaterial that contracts or shrinks to a smaller size upon application ofheat, irradiation, ultraviolet radiation), and the like. Such a materialmay include polystyrene or polypropylene thermoplastic material that isheat-shrinkable to conform to the shape of the corner 500 in a smoothfit.

FIG. 5B illustrates another example technique for wrapping the EPDstructure 104/204 to the corner 500 of the support frame that involvesfolding the EPD structure 104/204 around the corner 500. FIG. 5B shows afold line 502 where the EPD structure 104/204 has been folded to overlapthe EPD structure 104/204 from the neighboring side to form the shape ofthe corner 500.

FIG. 5C illustrates another example technique for wrapping the EPDstructure 104/204 to the corner 500 of the support frame that involvescutting away material from one or more corners of the EPD structure104/204 before attachment to the support frame 102/202. FIG. 5C shows acut 504 that can be made at the corner of the EPD structure 104/204 thatis square-shaped. If all four corners of the EPD structure 104/204 areto be wrapped around a corner 500 of the curved step 116/208 on thesupport frame 102/202, the resulting shape of the EPD structure 104/204may be an “iron-cross” shape. FIG. 5C illustrates that, upon attachmentat the corner 500 of the curved step 116/208, there may be a slit 506running down the corner 500 that can be sealed with a sealant, such as aresin material, such as Phenoxy Resin.

FIG. 6. illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of an exampleelectronic device 300E shown in FIG. 4 along section E-E according toone embodiment. The electronic device 300E represents a four sided thinborder display configuration. In this four sided thin border displayconfiguration, one or more driver chips 600 (or driving integratedcircuits (ICs) 600) may be electrically coupled to the rigid backplanesubstrate 106 via a flex circuit 602. The driver chip(s) 600 areelectrically coupled to the pixel electrode of a TFT type of rigidbackplane substrate 106 and provide the drive signals to the pixelelectrode that generates the electric field for influencing theelectrophoretic particles in the display to form an image thereon. Whenthe thin border display is a one, two, or three-sided thin borderdisplay, there may be room for the driver chip(s) 600 to reside onsubstantially the same plane as the rigid backplane substrate 106.However, in the implementation shown in FIG. 6, the flex circuit 602 isattached to the front surface of the backplane substrate and curvesaround the curved projection 604 in the support platform 606, making aturn of about 180°, and terminating at a point within the supportplatform 606 where the driver chip(s) 600 is oriented on a horizontalplane behind the rigid backplane substrate 106 at a distance from therigid backplane substrate 106 in the negative Z-direction. In thisconfiguration, the support platform 606 may include a slot 608 (orconduit) for the flex circuit 602 to extend within, and for placement ofthe driver chip(s) 600 within the support platform 606 and behind therigid backplane substrate 106. The driver chip 600 is shown as beingmounted on an inside surface of the flex circuit 602 so that theelectrical connections run along the inside surface of the flex circuit602 and make an electrical connection to the front surface of the rigidbackplane substrate 106 where the drive circuits, pixel electrode, andinterconnect lines are located. FIG. 7 illustrates a side,cross-sectional view of an example electronic device 300E shown in FIG.4 along section E-E according to another embodiment. In the example ofFIG. 7, the backplane substrate 206 is flexible, as described withreference to the configurations shown in FIGS. 2 and 3G. In thisconfiguration, one or more driver chips 700 (or driving ICs 700) may bemounted directly on the flexible backplane substrate 206 andelectrically coupled to the pixel electrode and/or drive circuits of theflexible backplane substrate 206. The flexible backplane substrate 206also curves around a curved projection 702 in the support platform 704,making a turn of about 180°, and terminating at a point within thesupport platform 704 where the driver chip(s) 700 is oriented on ahorizontal plane behind the flexible backplane substrate 206 at adistance from the flexible backplane substrate 206 in the negativeZ-direction. In this configuration, the support platform 704 may includea slot 706 (or conduit) for flexible backplane substrate 206 to extendwithin, and for placement of the driver chip(s) 700 within the supportplatform 704 and behind the flexible backplane substrate 206.

It is to be appreciated that the specific dimensions, proportions,shapes and configurations of the components described herein are notspecific to the present invention. For example, the electronic devicesand display components therein may be of various sizes (length and/orwidth), and shapes (e.g., rectangular, elliptical, square, triangular,etc.) without changing the basic characteristics of the thin borderdisplay.

The processes disclosed herein are illustrated as a collection of blocksin a logical flow graph. The order in which the operations are describedis not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of thedescribed blocks can be combined in any order or in parallel toimplement the processes.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of theexample electronic device 300E shown in FIG. 4 along section E-E. FIG. 8illustrates a backplane substrate 800 that can represent either therigid backplane substrate 106 or the flexible backplane substrate 206described herein. A driver chip(s) 802 may be disposed atop a frontsurface of the backplane substrate 800, and may be electrically coupledto the backplane substrate 800 for driving the electrodes and circuitryassociated therewith. Typically, the existence of the driver chip 802 onthe front surface of the backplane substrate 800 would render theportion of the display where the driver chip 802 resides unusable fordisplaying information thereon. FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate exampletechniques for increasing the usable display area on the electronicdevice 300E by wrapping the driver chips 600 and 700, respectively, tothe rear side of the backplane substrate. In FIG. 8, an alternatetechnique is shown for increasing the usable display area without movingthe driver chip 802 to the rear side of the backplane 800.

FIG. 8 shows an encapsulation layer 804 that is disposed on the driverchip 802. The electrode 108 may be disposed on the encapsulation layer804 such that the electrode 108 is ultimately disposed between theencapsulation layer 804 and the electrophoretic layer 110. In thismanner, the electrode 108 is configured to drive the display (e.g.,drive the display to white, black, a shade of grey, or another suitablecolor) at the portion of the display where the driver chip 802 resides(typically the periphery 120 of the display). In this manner, the driverchip 802 can remain on the front surface of the backplane substrate 800.

FIG. 8 illustrates that the encapsulation layer 804 may have a maximumthickness, t, and that the thickness may taper to a smaller and smallerthickness along a direction toward the interior region 118 of thedisplay until the encapsulation layer 804 terminates on the backplanesubstrate 800. In this manner, the encapsulation layer 804 may be“wedge-shaped” to cover the driver chip 802 but to not extend beyond anarea proximate to the driver chip 802. The maximum thickness, t, of theencapsulation layer 804 may be no greater than about 250 microns, nogreater than about 220 microns, no greater than about 210 microns, nogreater than about 200 microns, no greater than about 190 microns, or nogreater than about 180 microns. The maximum thickness, t, may depend onthe thickness of the driver chip 802, which may be on the order of about200 microns. In some embodiments, a planarization layer may be disposedon the transparent protective substrate 114 to planarize the opticalassembly due to the tapered thickness of the encapsulation layer 804.

In some embodiments, the encapsulation layer 804 comprises an insulatingmaterial that is deposited atop the driver chip 802 during amanufacturing process. Any suitable insulating material may be used forthe encapsulation layer 804, including, without limitation, silicondioxide, silicon nitride, or any other insulating material that ensuresthat electrical components are not shorted during operation of theelectronic device 300E. Any suitable technique for depositing theencapsulation layer 804 may be utilized, including techniques such as asputtering, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition(PVD), and the like. In some embodiments, the encapsulation layer 804may be smoothed or planarized on its front/top surface after it has beendeposited on the driver chip 802.

In some embodiments, the encapsulation layer 804 may come pre-formed orpre-manufactured so that it can be placed on top of the driver chip 802during a manufacturing/assembly process. In this embodiment, theencapsulation layer 804 may comprise a pre-formed shim or similarcomponent. The pre-formed shim may include a recessed volume on a rearside of the shim to accommodate the volume of the driver chip 802therein and to minimize the overall thickness of the device 300E. Thepre-formed shim may be attached to the backplane substrate 800 using anysuitable means for attaching, such as adhesive, fasteners (e.g., pins,clamps, etc.), and so on.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an illustrative process 900 formanufacturing an optical assembly for a display of an electronic deviceaccording to one embodiment. The process 900 may be implemented tomanufacture, fabricate, assemble, and/or produce any of the embodimentsof the optical assemblies illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 3B, 3C, 3D, 6,and 8.

At 902, an electrode 108 may be bonded to an electrophoretic layer 110at a periphery of the electrophoretic layer 110. The electrophoreticlayer 110 may be provided from a drum that was made in a separatemanufacturing process. For example, a roll-to-roll process for makingelectrophoretic display material may include depositing a transparentconductive layer 112 (e.g., ITO layer) onto a transparent protectivesubstrate 114, and depositing electrophoretic material onto thetransparent conductive layer to form the electrophoretic layer 110. Anadhesive may be applied to the surface of the electrophoretic layer 110,and a protection film (typically a plastic film called a “relief layer”)may be applied on top of the adhesive and electrophoretic layer 110.This structure may then be rolled up into a drum so that individualpieces of EPD material may be pulled out and cut off for manufacturingan EPD.

Accordingly, the bonding at 902 may include cutting a piece of EPD froma drum, peeling back the protection film to expose the adhesive on theelectrophoretic layer 110, and laminating the electrode 108 to theelectrophoretic layer 110 by applying pressure to the rear surface ofthe electrode 108 to create a firm bond between the electrode 108 andthe electrophoretic layer 110. As noted above, the electrode 108 may beshaped like a rectangular frame (shown in FIG. 3E) to cover theperiphery (or margin) of the electrophoretic layer 110 after it isbonded to the electrophoretic layer 110.

At 904, the electrode 108 and the electrophoretic layer 110 may bebonded to a front surface of a rigid backplane substrate 106, which maycomprise a rigid, glass TFT array substrate. The bonding at 904 mayinclude applying adhesive to a rear surface of the electrode 108 andbonding the electrode to the front surface of the rigid backplanesubstrate 106 at a periphery of the rigid backplane substrate 106, andbonding the electrophoretic layer 110 to the front surface of the rigidbackplane substrate 106 where the electrode 108 does not cover the rigidbackplane substrate 106 by applying pressure on the transparentprotective substrate 114 when the layers are aligned for bonding. Theadhesive that may be applied to the rear surface of the electrode 108may be a conductive adhesive in order to provide an electrical couplingbetween the rigid backplane substrate 106 and the electrode 108 at theinterface between them. The EPD material may be flexible enough to bondthe electrophoretic layer 110 to the rigid backplane substrate 106notwithstanding the existence of the electrode 108 in between the rigidbackplane substrate 106 and the electrophoretic layer 110 at theperiphery of the electrophoretic layer 110. However, a planarizationlayer may be applied to the rigid backplane substrate 106 on the frontsurface where the electrode 108 does not cover the rigid backplanesubstrate 106 to planarize the electrophoretic layer 110 in the interiorregion 118 of the electrophoretic layer 110.

In some embodiments, the electrode 108 may overlap a periphery of therigid backplane substrate 106 where address lines or non-useful pixels(e.g., the outermost pixel in every line) are disposed on the rigidbackplane substrate 106. Moreover, at least a portion of the electrode108 and a periphery of the electrophoretic layer 110 extends beyond theouter edge of the rigid backplane substrate 106 after the electrode 108and the electrophoretic layer 110 are bonded to the rigid backplanesubstrate 106.

At 906, an edge seal 122 may be deposited between the electrode 108 andthe transparent protective substrate 114 where electrophoretic materialin the electrophoretic layer 110 is exposed. The edge seal 122 may be aresign material that is applied in a viscous form and that hardens afterapplication, such as by using a Phenoxy Resin. The edge seal 122 may beapplied to a width within a range of about 2.5 mm to 3 mm. The edge seal122 may prevent the ingress of environmental contaminants, such asoxygen and water vapor, to the electrophoretic material in theelectrophoretic layer 110.

At 908, the rigid backplane substrate 106, at its rear surface, may becoupled to a support frame 102 at the second platform 304 of the supportframe 102. The rigid backplane substrate 106 may be bonded to the secondplatform 304, such as with adhesive, or it may be press fit within thesupport frame 102. In some embodiments, the support frame includes acurved step 116, such as with the support frame 102 of FIG. 1A. In otherembodiments, the support frame omits the curved step 116, such as withthe support frame 126 of FIG. 1B.

At 910, the portion of the EPD structure 104 that comprises theelectrode 108 and the periphery of the electrophoretic layer 110 may bebent or flexed over a curved step 116 of the support frame 102. Theextent to which the electrode 108 and the electrophoretic layer 110overhang (i.e., extend beyond) the outer edge of the rigid backplanesubstrate 106 dictates the extent of the turn made at the curved portionof the EPD structure 104. For example, with less overhang, the curvedportion of the EPD structure 104 may make a turn that is less than 90°,and with more overhang, the curved portion of the EPD structure 104 maymake a turn that is 90° or greater (e.g., a turn of 180°). The EPDstructure 104 may be cut to fit or accomplish any degree of turn. Theradius, R, of curvature of the curved portion of the EPD structure 104may be about 3 mm. Moreover, with a thin border display configurationhaving at least two adjacent thin border sides, the bending at 910 mayinclude wrapping a portion of the EPD structure 104 around a corner ofthe curved step 116. This may be accomplished using any suitabletechnique, such as any of the techniques illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5C.With a four sided thin border display configuration, the bending at 910may further include bending a flex circuit 602 around a curvedprojection 604 to position one or more drive chips 600 behind the rigidbackplane substrate 106 and within the support frame 606, as shown inFIG. 6. In some embodiments, the flex circuit 602 with the driverchip(s) 600 may be wrapped around the support frame 606 by making a turnof about 180° while the curved portion of the EPD structure 104 makes aturn that is about 90°, as shown in FIG. 6. Alternatively, anencapsulation layer 804 may be disposed on a driver chip(s) 802 that isdisposed on the front surface of the rigid backplane substrate 106, andthe electrode 108 may be disposed over the encapsulation layer 804 todrive the display over the driver chip(s) 802, as is shown in FIG. 8. Inthis manner, the driver chip(s) 802 is not moved from the front surfaceof the rigid backplane substrate 106.

It is to be appreciated that the transparent conductive layer 112, whichmay be comprised of a layer of ITO, may be susceptible to failure (e.g.,cracking) when the EPD structure 104 is bent at 910. Thus, carefulselection of the elastic modulus of the material used for thetransparent protective substrate 114 may control the location of thehighest stress region so that the neutral stress point is near theelectrophoretic layer 110 (i.e., the neutral stress point is located atthe top, middle, or bottom of the electrophoretic layer 110). This maymitigate the susceptibility of the transparent conductive layer 112 tofailure upon bending at 910.

At 912, the bent or curved portion of the EPD structure 104 may bebonded to the support frame 104. The attachment points may be on thesurface of the curved step 116 and/or on the surface of the firstplatform 302. Depending on the number of sides that are to have “thinborders”, steps 910 and 912 may be repeated for each side where the EPDstructure 104 is to be curved around the support frame 102. In someembodiments, step 910 may be omitted and the overhanging portion of theelectrode 108 may be bonded to a substantially flat portion of thesupport frame at step 912, such as the support frame 126 of FIG. 1B.

In some embodiments, the application of the edge seal 122 to theelectrophoretic layer 110 may be performed subsequent to bending the EPDstructure 104 at step 910. For example, the electrode 108 and theelectrophoretic layer 110 may be bent and laminated to a curved (molded)cover lens 310, and then the edge seal 122 may be applied to theelectrophoretic layer 110 at its edge. Alternatively, the edge seal 122may be applied as part of the bonding step at 912 where the edge seal122 can be applied when the bent portion of the EPD structure 104 isbonded to the curved step 116, thus placing less stress on the edge sealduring bonding.

Furthermore, the process 900 may include providing a light guide 306 onthe transparent protective substrate 114, providing a touch panel 308 onthe light guide 306, and providing a cover lens 310 over the touchpanel. In some embodiments, conductive traces on the touch panel 308 maybe removed or altered on the corners where the touch panel 308 is curvedso that touch accuracy is improved and noise is reduced. The light guide306 and the touch panel 308 may be flexible so as to be curved aroundthe support frame 102, and the cover lens 310 may be pre-molded in acurved configuration. Lamination between the layers 306-310 may beperformed using an optically clear adhesive (OCA), and/or liquid OCA(LOCA), to create a firm optical bond between the layers.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of an illustrative process 1000 ofmanufacturing an optical assembly for a display of an electronic deviceaccording to another embodiment. The process 1000 may be implemented tomanufacture, fabricate, assemble, and/or produce any of the embodimentsof the optical assemblies illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3G, 3H, 7, and 8.

At 1002, an electrophoretic layer 110 may be bonded to a front surfaceof a flexible backplane substrate 206, which may be made of polyamide(PA) or any other suitable flexible substrate material. Theelectrophoretic layer 110 may be provided at 1002 by cutting a piece ofEPD material (e.g., a transparent conductive layer 112 and anelectrophoretic layer 110 deposited on a transparent protectivesubstrate 114) from a drum, peeling back a protection film to exposeadhesive on the electrophoretic layer 110, and laminating theelectrophoretic layer 110 to the front surface of the flexible backplanesubstrate 206 by applying pressure on the transparent protectivesubstrate 114.

At 1004, an edge seal 122 may be deposited between the flexiblebackplane substrate 206 and the transparent protective substrate 114where electrophoretic material in the electrophoretic layer 110 isexposed.

At 1006, the flexible backplane substrate 206, at its rear surface, maybe coupled to a support frame 202 at the second platform 316 of thesupport frame 202. The flexible backplane substrate 206 may be bonded tothe second platform 316, such as with adhesive. In some embodiments, thesupport frame includes a curved step 208, such as with the support frame202 of FIG. 2A. In other embodiments, the support frame omits the curvedstep 208, such as with the support frame 212 of FIG. 2B.

At 1008, the portion of the EPD structure 204 that comprises theflexible backplane substrate 206 and the electrophoretic layer 110, attheir respective peripheries, may be bent or flexed over a curved step208 of the support frame 202. The extent to which the flexible backplanesubstrate 206 and the electrophoretic layer 110 curve around the supportframe 202 may vary. For example, the curved portion of the EPD structure204 may make a turn that is less than 90°, equal to 90°, or greater than90° (e.g., a turn of 180°). EPD structure 204 may be cut to fit oraccomplish any degree of turn. The radius, R, of curvature of the curvedportion of the EPD structure 204 may be about 3 mm. Moreover, with athin border display configuration having at least two adjacent thinborder sides, the bending at 1008 may include wrapping a portion of theEPD structure 204 around a corner of the curved step 208. This may beaccomplished using any suitable technique, such as any of the techniquesillustrated in FIGS. 5A-5C. With a four sided thin border displayconfiguration, the bending at 1008 may further include bending a side ofthe flexible backplane substrate 206 having the driver chip(s) 700around a curved projection 702 to position the drive chip(s) 700 behindthe flexible backplane substrate 206 and within the support frame 704,as shown in FIG. 7. In some embodiments, the side of the flexiblebackplane substrate 206 with the driver chip(s) 700 may be wrappedaround the support frame 704 by making a turn of about 180° while thecurved portion of the EPD structure 204 makes a turn that is about 90°,as shown in FIG. 7. Alternatively, an encapsulation layer 804 may bedisposed on a driver chip(s) 802 that is disposed on the front surfaceof the flexible backplane substrate 206, and an electrode, such as theelectrode 108, may be disposed over the encapsulation layer 804 to drivethe display over the driver chip(s) 802, as is shown in FIG. 8. In thismanner, the driver chip(s) 802 is not wrapped around to the backside ofthe display.

It is to be appreciated that the transparent conductive layer 112, whichmay be comprised of a layer of ITO, and the electrodes and conductivetraces on the front surface of the flexible backplane substrate 206, maybe susceptible to failure (e.g., cracking) when the EPD structure 204 isbent at 1008. Thus, careful selection of the elastic modulus of thematerials used for both the transparent protective substrate 114 and theflexible backplane substrate 206 may control the location of the higheststress region so that the neutral stress point is near theelectrophoretic layer 110 (i.e., the neutral stress point is located atthe top, middle, or bottom of the electrophoretic layer 110). This maymitigate the susceptibility of the transparent conductive layer 112 andthe electrodes and conductive traces on the flexible backplane substrate206 to failure upon bending at 1008.

At 1010, the bent or curved portion of the EPD structure 204 may bebonded to the support frame 204. The attachment points may be on thesurface of the curved step 208 and/or on the surface of the firstplatform 314. Depending on the number of sides that are to have “thinborders”, steps 1008 and 1010 may be repeated for each side where theEPD structure 204 is to be curved around the support frame 202. In someembodiments, steps 1008 and 1010 may be omitted from the process 1000,such as when the EPD structure 204 remains substantially flat and isbonded to a substantially flat portion of the support frame, such as thesupport frame 212 of FIG. 2B.

In some embodiments, the application of the edge seal 122 to theelectrophoretic layer 110 may be performed subsequent to bending the EPDstructure 204 at step 1008. For example, the flexible backplane 206 andthe electrophoretic layer 110 may be bent and laminated to a curved(molded) cover lens 310, and then the edge seal 122 may be applied tothe electrophoretic layer 110 at its edge. Alternatively, the edge seal122 may be applied as part of the bonding step at 1010 where the edgeseal 122 can be applied when the bent portion of the EPD structure 204is bonded to the curved step 208, thus placing less stress on the edgeseal during bonding.

In some embodiments, the process 1000 may include providing a lightguide 306 on the transparent protective substrate 114, providing a touchpanel 308 on the light guide 306, and providing a cover lens 310 overthe touch panel. In some embodiments, conductive traces on the touchpanel 308 may be removed or altered on the corners where the touch panel308 is curved so that touch accuracy is improved and noise is reduced.The light guide 306 and the touch panel 308 may be flexible so as to becurved around the support frame 202, and the cover lens 310 may bepre-molded in a curved configuration. Lamination between the layers306-310 may be performed using an optically clear adhesive (OCA), and/orliquid OCA (LOCA), to create a firm optical bond between the layers.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example technique for allowing a user to hold anelectronic device 1100 having a thin border display 1102. In the exampleof FIG. 11, the thin border display 1102 is a two sided thin borderdisplay where the EPD structure 104/204 curves around two opposing sidesof the support frame 102/202 to make a first side 1104 of the display1102 and the second side 1106 of the display appear borderless. Here,the user's hands 1108(A) and 1108(B) are grasping and holding theelectronic device 1100 at the first side 1104 and the second side 1106,respectively, which may be a natural way for the user to hold a tabletor e-book reader when viewing content rendered on the display 1102. Insome embodiments, portions of the display 1102 may be configured todeactivate the touch panel 308 at those portions so as to beunresponsive to touch input on the screen. For example, the edgeportions of the display 1102 at the first side 1104 and the second side1106 may be deactivated so that the user can grasp the electronic device1102 at the sides without causing an operation to occur in response totouching the display 1102 at those locations.

Alternatively, the electronic device 1100 may be configured to disableor deactivate the touch panel 308 in response to the user's finger orhands 1108(A) and 1108(B) touching the display 1102 and sustaining thetouch for more than a threshold amount of time (e.g., 0.5 seconds). Inthis manner, the user may be able to provide touch-based input, so longas the touch event is not sustained for longer than the threshold amountof time, but is able to hold the device on portions of the display 1102without causing touch-based input to be registered by the electronicdevice 1100.

FIG. 12A illustrates a side elevation view of an example electronicdevice 1100 showing example indicia 1200(1)-(3) that can be displayed ona side portion of the thin border display 1102. In this example, theindicia 1200(1)-(3) are lines running the length of the electronicdevice 1100 that look similar to a non-binding side of a tangible,hardcopy book, and that indicate to a user a number of pages remainingin an e-book that the user is reading on the electronic device 1100.Although three lines 1200(1)-(3) are shown, it is to be appreciated thatany number of lines may be used to represent a remaining number of pagesto be read in the e-book. In the implementation of the thin borderdisplay where the electrode 108 is used to drive the periphery 120 ofthe display 1102, the electrode 108 may be patterned into a number oflines that represent 100% of the remaining pages in the book. As theuser progresses through the e-book, the number of lines on the patternedelectrode 108 may be selectively displayed in order to represent theremaining number of pages to read. The electrode 108 may be patterned sothat individual segments of the electrode 108 correspond to respectiveones of the lines to be displayed, and each section may be electricallycoupled to the rigid backplane substrate 106 so that they areindividually addressable by driving corresponding pixels on the rigidbackplane substrate 106. It is to be appreciated that a limited numberof lines can be displayed on the side portion of the display 1102 shownin FIG. 12A, and that the number of lines displayed may be fewer thanthe actual number of pages remaining in the e-book. As such, the numberof lines displayed at any given time may indicate a percentage of thee-book that remains unread by the user.

In the implementation where the flexible backplane substrate 206 isutilized for the thin border display, the lines may be displayed at thepixel level by addressing those pixels with the backplane (e.g., a TFTarray substrate) in the periphery 120 of the display 1102.

FIG. 12B illustrates a side elevation view of an example electronicdevice 1100 showing other example indicia 1202 that can be displayed ona side portion of the thin border display. For example, a favorites icon1202(1), a volume down icon 1202(2), a volume up icon 1202(3), a muteicon 1202(4), and/or a music icon 1202(5) may be displayed by patterningthe electrode 108, or by addressing pixels on the display 1102 using theflexible backplane substrate 206, depending on the configuration of thethin border display. These are merely examples of possible indicia 1202that can be displayed. For example, the title of an e-book can bedisplayed in the periphery 120 of the display 1102, similar to how thebinding edge of a tangible, hardcopy book would look.

FIG. 13 shows relevant components of an example electronic device 1300that may be used to implement the systems and techniques disclosedherein. The electronic device 1300 may of course be implemented in manydifferent ways. The electronic device 1300 may comprise any of theabove-enumerated devices introduced above.

The example electronic device 1300 may comprise one or more processingunits 1302 and one or more forms of computer-readable memory 1304. Thememory 1304 may comprise volatile and nonvolatile memory. Thus, thememory 1304 may include, but is not limited to, random access memory(RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM(EEPROM), flash memory, or other memory technology, or any other mediumwhich can be used to store applications and data. The memory 1304 mayalso include removable media such as optical disks, portabledevices/drives, and so forth.

The memory 1304 may be used to store any number of functionalcomponents, such as programs and program modules that are executable onthe processing unit 1302. For example, the memory 1304 may store anoperating system 1306 and various applications or user-specifiedprograms 1308. The operating system 1306 and/or the user-specifiedprograms 1308 may include components, modules, and/or logic forperforming the actions described herein. More specifically, executablecomponents stored in the memory 1304 may comprise computer-executableinstructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processing units1302 to perform acts and to implement techniques described herein.

The electronic device 1300 may also have user input/output components1310, such as a 1312 display (e.g., a touch-screen display), keyboard,mouse, etc. The display 1312 may represent the thin border displaydescribed herein according to various embodiments. The electronic device1300 may also comprise a communications interface 1314 such as a networkinterface.

Generally, the functionality described herein may be implemented by oneor more electronic devices such as shown by FIG. 13 or by similardevices, with the various actions described above (e.g., displayingindicia 1200, 1202) distributed in various ways across the differentelectronic devices.

CONCLUSION

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features, it is to be understood that the subject matterdefined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to thespecific features described. Rather, the specific features are disclosedas illustrative forms of implementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An optical assembly for a display of anelectronic device, the optical assembly comprising: a support framehaving a substantially rectangular shape, the support frame comprising afront face, the support frame having: a first flat portion around aperiphery of the support frame; a second flat portion at a center of thesupport frame; and a curved step located between the first flat portionand the second flat portion; and an electrophoretic display structureattached to the support frame, the electrophoretic display structurecomprising: a rigid thin film transistor (TFT) array substrate disposedon the second flat portion; an electrode disposed on the rigid TFT arraysubstrate at a periphery of the rigid TFT substrate and extending beyondan outer edge of the rigid TFT array substrate; an electrophoretic layerdisposed on, and covering, the electrode and the rigid TFT arraysubstrate; a transparent conductive layer disposed on theelectrophoretic layer; and a transparent protective substrate disposedon the transparent conductive layer, and wherein the electrode, theelectrophoretic layer, the transparent conductive layer, and thetransparent protective substrate, at their respective peripheries, atleast partly curve over the curved step of the support frame.
 2. Theoptical assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrode comprises aconductive foil, has a substantially rectangular shape, and comprises awindow at a center of the electrode.
 3. The optical assembly of claim 1,wherein the electrophoretic display structure further comprises: adriver chip electrically coupled to the rigid TFT array substrate anddisposed on the rigid TFT array substrate; and an encapsulation layerdisposed on the driver chip, and wherein the electrode covers theencapsulation layer and is configured to drive the display over theencapsulation layer.
 4. The optical assembly of claim 1, furthercomprising a flex circuit having a driver chip, the flex circuit beingelectrically coupled to the rigid TFT array substrate and being curvedover the curved step of the support frame by making a turn of about 180degrees such that the driver chip is disposed underneath the rigid TFTarray substrate.
 5. An optical assembly for a display of an electronicdevice, the optical assembly comprising: a support frame having a frontface, the support frame comprising: a first flat portion around aperiphery of the support frame; and a second flat portion at a center ofthe support frame; and an electrophoretic display structure attached tothe support frame, the electrophoretic display structure comprising: arigid backplane substrate disposed on the second flat portion; anelectrode disposed on the rigid backplane substrate at a periphery ofthe rigid backplane substrate and extending beyond an outer edge of therigid backplane substrate; an electrophoretic layer disposed on theelectrode; and the electrophoretic layer, or a different electrophoreticlayer, disposed on the rigid backplane substrate.
 6. The opticalassembly of claim 5, wherein: the support frame further comprises acurved step at least partly between the first flat portion and thesecond flat portion; and a portion of the electrophoretic displaystructure at least partly curves over the curved step of the supportframe, wherein the portion of the electrophoretic display structurecomprises the electrode and the electrophoretic layer at theirrespective peripheries.
 7. The optical assembly of claim 6, wherein theportion of the electrophoretic display structure that is at least partlycurved over the curved step of the support frame forms an elbow of about90 degrees and terminates at the first flat portion of the supportframe.
 8. The optical assembly of claim 6, wherein: the support frame isrectangular in shape; and the curved step extends along at least twoadjacent sides of the support frame such that the curved step comprisesa corner.
 9. The optical assembly of claim 6, wherein: the support frameis rectangular in shape; the curved step extends along four sides of thesupport frame; and the portion of the electrophoretic display structureis curved over the curved step to form a four-sided thin border display.10. The optical assembly of claim 9, wherein the electrophoretic displaystructure further comprises a driver chip electrically coupled to therigid backplane substrate and disposed underneath the rigid backplanesubstrate and within the support frame.
 11. The optical assembly ofclaim 6, wherein the electrophoretic display structure furthercomprises: a transparent conductive layer disposed on theelectrophoretic layer or the electrophoretic layer and the differentelectrophoretic layer; and a transparent protective substrate disposedon the transparent conductive layer, and wherein the portion of theelectrophoretic display structure that is at least partly curved overthe curved step of the support frame further comprises the transparentconductive layer and the transparent protective substrate at theirrespective peripheries.
 12. The optical assembly of claim 5, wherein theelectrophoretic display structure further comprises: a driver chipelectrically coupled to the rigid backplane substrate and disposed onthe rigid backplane substrate; and an encapsulation layer disposed onthe driver chip, and wherein the electrode covers the encapsulationlayer and is configured to drive the display over the encapsulationlayer.
 13. The optical assembly of claim 5, wherein the electrodecomprises a conductive foil, has a substantially rectangular shape, andcomprises a window at a center of the electrode.
 14. An optical assemblyfor a display of an electronic device, the optical assembly comprising:means for supporting, the means for supporting having a front face andcomprising: a first flat portion around a periphery of the means forsupporting; and a second flat portion at a center of the means forsupporting; and means for displaying an image on the display, the meansfor displaying the image being attached to the means for supporting, themeans for displaying the image comprising: means for driving an interiorregion of the display, the means for driving the interior region of thedisplay being rigid and disposed on the second flat portion; means fordriving a periphery of the display, the means for driving the peripheryof the display being disposed on the means for driving the interiorregion of the display at a periphery of the means for driving theinterior region of the display and extending beyond an outer edge of themeans for driving the interior region of the display; means forcontaining charged particles, the means for containing charged particlesbeing disposed on the means for driving the periphery of the display;and the means for containing charged particles, or a different means forcontaining charged particles, disposed on the means for driving theinterior region of the display.
 15. The optical assembly of claim 14,wherein: the means for supporting further comprises a curved step atleast partly between the first flat portion and the second flat portion;and a portion of the means for displaying the image at least partlycurves over the curved step of the means for supporting, wherein theportion of the means for displaying the image comprises the means fordriving the periphery of the display and the means for containingcharged particles at their respective peripheries.
 16. The opticalassembly of claim 15, wherein the portion of the means for displayingthe image that is at least partly curved over the curved step of themeans for supporting forms an elbow of about 90 degrees and terminatesat the first flat portion of the means for supporting.
 17. The opticalassembly of claim 15, wherein the means for displaying the image furthercomprises means for providing drive signals, the means for providingdrive signals being electrically coupled to the means for driving theinterior region of the display and disposed underneath the means fordriving the interior region of the display and within the means forsupporting.
 18. The optical assembly of claim 17, further comprisingmeans for electrically and mechanically coupling the means for providingdrive signals to the means for driving the interior region of thedisplay, the means for electrically and mechanically coupling beingcurved over the curved step of the means for supporting by making a turnof about 180 degrees such that the means for providing drive signals isdisposed underneath the means for driving the interior region of thedisplay.
 19. The optical assembly of claim 14, wherein the means fordisplaying the image further comprises: means for providing drivesignals, the means for providing drive signals being electricallycoupled to the means for driving the interior region of the display anddisposed on the means for driving the interior region of the display;and means for encapsulating, the means for encapsulating disposed on themeans for providing drive signals, and wherein the means for driving theperiphery of the display covers the means for encapsulating and isconfigured to drive the display over the means for encapsulating. 20.The optical assembly of claim 14, wherein the means for driving theperiphery of the display comprises a conductive foil, has asubstantially rectangular shape, and comprises a window at a center ofthe means for driving the periphery of the display.